China protested Thursday in an uncharacteristically mild manner a private meeting between Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the Dalai Lama that took place a day earlier in Warsaw, reported dpa.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists at his regular press conference that Beijing had contacted the Polish government over the meeting and said Warsaw should respect China's fundamental interests and not create impediments to Chinese-Polish relations.
Liu's statement fell significantly short of Beijing's earlier reactions to international contacts involving the Tibetan spiritual leader.
France had been accused of "violating the feelings of the Chinese people" and the French ambassador to China was summoned by Beijing following a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama last Saturday.
China also cancelled two summits with France and the EU ahead of the meeting.
Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama met in the northern Polish city of Gdansk during celebrations that marked the 25th anniversary of former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.